Delhi hospitals still low on oxygen, CM Arvind Kejriwal turns to private sector for help

Hospitals in Delhi continued to send distress signals on the oxygen crisis for the seventh straight day on Sunday amid the continuing crisis caused by the surge of Covid-19 cases in the national capital.

Leading private hospitals in Delhi continued to suspend admissions, because of scarcity of oxygen. “It’s marginally better today on oxygen supplies but too early to say whether sustainably so,” said the Fortis spokesperson.

Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI) had inadequate supplies on Saturday night but it received some stocks “in the nick of time”, the spokesperson added.


Max Healthcare said that they will take decisions on new admissions on Monday, adding that the supplies were a little better on Sunday for all hospitals in the Max chain.

Delhi’s Pentamed Hospital, which has 50 patients on oxygen support, said at 11:30am if it doesn’t get new supplies in an hour, lives will be at risk. Till 7pm the hospital did not receive oxygen supplies. Pentamed Hospital has sent two of its vehicles to different plants — in Bahadurgarh and Bawana — for getting oxygen supply but there are long queues, said Deepak Sethi, manager of Pentamed Hospital.

Later in the evening, Jindal Steel Plant transported 25 oxygen cylinders and assured to send about 40 to 50 every alternate day. “I think little by little, we will be able to get through these times,” said Avinash Batta of Pentamed Hospital.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also wrote to prominent industrialists seeking their help to transport oxygen in cryogenic tankers. Kejriwal said that the intensity of the spread is so severe that the existing quantity of oxygen is proving inadequate.

“I would be grateful if you could provide us with any stocks of oxygen, along with cryogenic tankers for its movement. We would also welcome any help in import of cryogenic oxygen tankers from any other country,” he said in his letter.

Kejriwal asked them to treat the letter as “SOS” — “I would be personally grateful to you,” he said.